Please help us continue to provide you with free, quality journalism by turning off your ad blocker on our site.

Thank you for signing in.

If this is your first time registering, please check your inbox for more information about the benefits of your Forbes account and what you can do next!

I agree to receive occasional updates and announcements about Forbes products and services. You may opt out at any time.

I'd like to receive the Forbes Daily Dozen newsletter to get the top 12 headlines every morning.

Forbes takes privacy seriously and is committed to transparency. We will never share your email address with third parties without your permission. By signing in, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Statement.

While now is the time to shine in front of your customers, it’s also crucial that your meeting agenda contains the necessary elements to ensure optimal success. While meeting content will inevitably vary based on meeting goals and member-requested topics, here are eight meeting must-haves based on our experience gathered over the last decade working with Fortune 500 and emerging companies through more than 200 successful customer engagements:

1. Prep Meeting: The host company should hold an internal-only (i.e., no customers) prep meeting on-site the day before the formal in-person CAC meeting begins. This meeting offers the final opportunity to review session content, facilitation plans, participation guidelines and customer account status before being in front of the members. This meeting is important for ensuring host company participants are clear on their roles. Plus, it minimizes surprises and ensures everyone arrives on time at the meeting location.

2. Welcome Reception And Social Event: Social interaction and engagement is a crucial element of any CAC meeting. I recommend holding a welcome reception the night before the meeting takes place, as this will break the ice and get members comfortable with each other before the formal meeting starts. Additionally, a quality social event and/or dinner after the first day’s meeting will expand personal contacts and establish ongoing relationships after the meeting concludes.

3. Opening Session: The formal meeting should start with a welcome from the CAC executive sponsor, who should also review the meeting objectives, preview the agenda and activities and provide the status of actions taken from previous engagements. The opening session should also include the participation guidelines and ground rules by the meeting facilitator, so members are clear on how to contribute their ideas.

4. Introductions: Before diving into any content, introductions should be made by everyone present, including CAC members, host company executives and third-party consultants. This ensures everyone knows everyone’s roles and gets people speaking from the start.

5. Strategic Update: The host company can start with a review of its top strategic initiatives, recent acquisitions, partnerships, new products or other corporate developments. Be upfront about bottlenecks, tradeoffs or fork-in-the-road decisions on which you would like member opinions. Being honest about your challenges will encourage the members to do the same with theirs.

6. Group Exercises: Get members collaborating, brainstorming and physically moving by conducting group activities or games in which they are engaging with each other on shared industry challenges and potential solutions. Be clear on the question at hand, desired inputs and outputs and how much time they have to complete the exercise.

7. Closing Sessions: At the conclusion of each day, a summary by the facilitator and executive sponsor should encapsulate the day’s discussions, conclusions, key takeaways and potential action items. At the conclusion of the meeting, the CAC program’s next steps and upcoming engagements should be previewed so members will know what’s coming up.

8. Meeting Debrief: Before any host company participants leave, an internal-only post-mortem should be held while the meeting is fresh in their minds. This debrief can include general meeting feedback, potential urgent follow-ups and improvements for upcoming engagements.

I recommend these elements be included as part of every in-person CAC meeting. By doing so, you’ll ensure your meeting delivers maximum impact, the desired outcomes and, most importantly, pleases your attending customer members.